{"id":2530632,"date":"2026-01-06T16:39:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T21:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-hit-with-trump-curveball-on-abortion-in-obamacare-talks\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T16:41:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T21:41:23","slug":"gop-hit-with-trump-curveball-on-abortion-in-obamacare-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-hit-with-trump-curveball-on-abortion-in-obamacare-talks\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP hit with Trump curveball on abortion in Obamacare talks"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgop-hit-with-trump-curveball-on-abortion-in-obamacare-talks%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2530632&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>President Donald Trump told House Republicans they should be &#8220;flexible on Hyde&#8221; &#8211; the federal policy barring use of taxpayer funds for abortions &#8211; as part of a push too reach a bipartisan deal to restore expired Affordable Care Act premium subsidies. His remarks surprised GOP negotiators and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-relishes-in-return-to-time-magazine-cover-and-lays-out-second-term-agenda\/\" title=\"Trump excited about Time magazine cover return and outlines second...term plans\">anti-abortion allies<\/a>; Sen. James Lankford and other conservative senators rejected flexibility on Hyde,saying taxpayer dollars must not fund abortions,while groups warned abandoning Hyde would cost Republicans politically. Democrats and some negotiators saw Trump&#8217;s comment as a possible way to break the impasse,with Sen. Angus King calling prospects for agreement about &#8220;50-50.&#8221; Other sticking points remain: Republicans favor directing money into health savings accounts rather than insurer subsidies, and leaders say any deal must secure broad GOP support to avoid splitting the conference.Simultaneously occurring, the GOP-led house is set to pass a three-year subsidy extension that lacks the senate votes to overcome a filibuster, leaving negotiations and the search for compromise ongoing.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">GOP hit with Trump curveball on abortion in Obamacare talks<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2465010\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> is presenting Republicans with their latest wildcard in last-ditch efforts to craft a bipartisan fix for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/4365001\/centrist-republicans-bipartisanship-end-gamesmanship-obamacare-subsidies\/\">expired Affordable Care Act subsidies<\/a>. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The president&rsquo;s pitch Tuesday for the GOP to frame <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/policy\/healthcare\/\">healthcare<\/a> as a winning issue for the midterm elections rested largely on the need to be &ldquo;flexible on Hyde,&rdquo; the law that <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3885355\/funding-restrictions-abortions-extension-obamacare-subsidies\/\">prohibits federal funds<\/a> for abortions but that stands in the way of a deal on the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >pandemic-era enhanced tax credits<\/a> that lapsed Jan. 1.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4408219\/trump-gop-backlash-greenland-saber-rattling\/\">Trump draws Republican backlash for renewed Greenland &lsquo;sabre-rattling&rsquo;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4407702\/rand-paul-trump-thrall-lindsey-graham-threats\/\">Paul says Trump &#8216;under the thrall&#8217; of Graham as president threatens several countries<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4406301\/congress-to-be-briefed-on-venezuela-strikes\/\">Congress to be briefed by Trump administration on Venezuela strikes<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/james-lankford\/\">James Lankford<\/a> (R-OK), a healthcare negotiator with staunch anti-abortion views, offered a visceral response just minutes after Trump&rsquo;s remarks made in Washington to House Republicans at the newly named Trump-Kennedy Center.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not flexible on the value of human life,&rdquo; Lankford told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t believe some children are disposable and some children are valuable.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Senate Majority Leader <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-thune\/\">John Thune <\/a>(R-SD), who earlier in the day said healthcare meetings have been productive but that language on the Hyde Amendment remained the &ldquo;most challenging,&rdquo; declined to offer his interpretation of Trump&rsquo;s vague directive.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll have to figure out &mdash; dissect &mdash; exactly what that all translates into,&rdquo; Thune said.<\/p>\n<p>A bipartisan breakthrough on Hyde has <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3885355\/funding-restrictions-abortions-extension-obamacare-subsidies\/\">for months eluded lawmakers<\/a>, as both parties remain firm on red lines over abortion access under Obamacare. Democrats say the Obama administration-era law already has existing guardrails to prevent funding abortions and that Republicans are seeking a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/aca-subsidy-deal-further-out-of-reach-as-bipartisan-talks-sputter\/\" title=\"ACA ... further out of reach as bi...isan talks sputter\">back-door abortion ban<\/a>, while the GOP says additional <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3885355\/funding-restrictions-abortions-extension-obamacare-subsidies\/\">insurance surcharges<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/republicans-demand-tougher-abortion-restrictions-extend-obamacare-fund-rcna243206\">state funding<\/a> present loopholes to financing abortions.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You have to be a little flexible on Hyde. You know that,&rdquo; Trump told House Republicans at their retreat. &ldquo;You got to be a little flexible. You got to work something. You got to use ingenuity.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bernie-moreno\/\">Bernie Moreno<\/a> (R-OH), a lead negotiator whose two-year subsidy proposal with Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/susan-collins\/\">Susan Collins<\/a> (R-ME) includes tightened eligibility requirements and a phase-out, noted Hyde is already federal law but signaled no willingness to change course from the GOP&rsquo;s demands for more restrictions.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There is no interest among any Republicans to veer from the idea that taxpayer dollars should not be used to fight <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/abortion\/\">abortions<\/a>,&rdquo; Moreno said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no Republican that I know of in this building that&rsquo;s saying, &lsquo;Hey, there should be federal tax dollars to pay for abortions.&#8217;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Anti-abortion groups fumed at Trump, warning of election consequences if Republicans failed to strengthen <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/affordable-care-act\/\">Obamacare<\/a> abortion restrictions with concessions to Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;To suggest Republicans should be &lsquo;flexible&rsquo; is an abandonment of this decades-long commitment,&rdquo; Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement. &ldquo;If Republicans abandon Hyde, they are sure to lose this November.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But while Republicans and anti-abortion groups piled on, Democrats saw the president&rsquo;s remarks as a potential avenue to break the logjam.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That may help us to get there,&rdquo; Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/angus-king\/\">Angus King<\/a> (I-ME), a lead negotiator who caucuses with Democrats, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>King gave the prospects of reaching an agreement a &ldquo;50-50&rdquo; chance in what amounted to an optimistic outlook by Capitol Hill standards. Those involved in discussions have floated extending the open enrollment period for marketplace plans beyond the Jan. 15 deadline in anticipation of an agreement.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), left, and Sen. James Lankford (R-OK). (Graeme Jennings\/Washington Examiner, AP Photo\/Ben Curtis)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But other potential hurdles for a deal to combat rising out-of-pocket insurance costs have also solidified.<\/p>\n<p>Trump stood firm in telling Republicans to embrace funding individuals&rsquo; health savings accounts rather than subsidizing insurance companies directly, a stand-alone proposal that Senate Democrats rejected last month.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Let the money go in a healthcare account, or however you do it,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;Let the money go directly to the people.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>Thune also set a high bar Tuesday for any subsidy deal, saying a path forward would hinge on the ability &ldquo;to get a big vote, and certainly a big vote among Republicans.&rdquo; He declined to say whether a majority of Senate Republicans would need to be supportive for a floor vote, but reiterated that Hyde, income eligibility caps, and expanding the use of health savings accounts were all critical components to any agreement.<\/p>\n<p>Moreno said it was paramount to secure a majority of Senate Republicans to avoid a &ldquo;defection bill&rdquo; that would split the party.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4407991\/trump-airs-grievances-preaches-healthcare-midterm-focus-hyde\/\">TRUMP AIRS GRIEVANCES AND PREACHES HEALTHCARE MIDTERM FOCUS AT HOUSE GOP RETREAT: &lsquo;YOU&rsquo;VE GOT TO BE FLEXIBLE ON HYDE&rsquo;<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the GOP-led <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/news\/house\/\">House<\/a> is expected to narrowly pass this week a bill for a three-year subsidy extension after enough centrist Republicans joined Democrats in forcing a vote against the wishes of Speaker <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mike-johnson\/\">Mike Johnson<\/a> (R-LA). But the provision would be dead on arrival in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/senate\/\">Senate<\/a>, which already voted down the measure last month and lacks enough Republican backing to overcome a 60-vote filibuster.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;From all their actions, they&rsquo;re totally partisan,&rdquo; Senate Minority Leader <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chuck-schumer\/\">Chuck Schumer<\/a> (D-NY) said of Republicans, as he advocated the House&rsquo;s three-year extension. &ldquo;The Republican caucuses seem wedded to extending Hyde.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><em>Christian Datoc contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump tells GOP to be flexible on Hyde during ACA talks<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3204,"featured_media":2530633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-collage-h4nh440xf-1767728023845-e1767733175552.jpg?1767715166&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[4310,32319,6203,70244,12589],"class_list":["post-2530632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-abortion","tag-donald-trump","tag-gop","tag-healthcare-negotiations","tag-obamacare"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-collage-h4nh440xf-1767728023845-e1767733175552.jpg?1767715166&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2530632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3204"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2530632"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2530632\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2530636,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2530632\/revisions\/2530636"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2530633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2530632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2530632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2530632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}